1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for measuring some living body variables such as body fat, muscle quantity or body water content, and more particularly to the geometrical shape of such a measuring device.
2. Prior Art
Recently people have been concerned with their health. Accordingly a variety of gauges permitting people to obtain blood pressure, pulsation and other pieces of information pertaining to their health are commercially available. From the point of health monitoring view the body fat percentage rather than body weight has been increasingly of concern. In the hope of meeting such need a body fat monitor for estimating the body fat quantity in terms of bioelectrical impedance was proposed. Such body fat monitors have been popular now for home use because of facilitating the required measurement. The bioelectrical impedance can be determined by making an electric current to flow between two selected points in the body and by measuring the voltage appearing therebetween. The body fat percentage or body fat quantity can be determined from the so determined bioelectrical impedance and from the height, weight, sex, age and other personal particulars, and the so determined variables are shown on the display. It is said that the probability with which fattish people suffer from life-style related diseases is larger. Nowadays, not only old people but also young people who are concerned with their health use body fat monitors to check how their fat percentage has been varying.
Weight scales each equipped with a body fat monitor are actually used. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.11-19059 proposed a portable type of card-like gauge. Now, such gauges are commercially available in the market, and can be carried and used anywhere as for instance follows: the required measurements are effected before and after taking a certain internal combustion-causing exercise such as walking or jogging to realize how much the body fat has been reduced. For another example the body water content is determined in terms of the bioelectrical impedance while taking an exercise, thus meeting the need of monitoring how the body water content is varying while taking the exercise; such monitoring is supposed to be of great concern depending on what kind of exercise is being taken.
Small-sized body fat percentage gauges of the above-mentioned type (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.11-19059) have their parts such as display, power switch and measurement electrodes exposed on their front side. Thus it may be possible that the power switch be inadvertently touched to cause it to turn on while taking an exercise, thus wasting a significant amount of electric power and accordingly shortening the battery life. Outdoor exercises such as jogging or walking are apt to collect dust on the measurement electrodes of the gauge, causing errors in measuring bioelectrical impedance, and hence body fat percentage.
The display may be an LCD using a glass plate, which can be broken if the gauge inadvertently falls on the ground while taking an exercise.
In view of the above one object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized measuring device permitting required measurements of living body variables such as body fat percentage, body water content or muscle quantity to be effected anywhere, the measuring device being guaranteed to be free of the inadvertent switching-on of the power switch and contamination of the measurement electrodes with dust, preventing the fragile display from being broken.
To attain this object a living body variable measuring device comprising: an electric power supply; an inputting unit for inputting physical data of individuals whose body variables are to be measured; a memory device for storing the physical data of individuals thus inputted; electrodes for use in measuring the living body variable; an arithmetic operation-and-control unit for determining the living condition of each individual from the living body variable and the personal physical data; and a display for displaying the result of the arithmetic operation and other pieces of information, is improved according to the present invention in that it further comprises a lid for covering the body of said measuring device.
The measuring device further comprises an electric power switch, which is responsive to the opening and closing of said lid for turning said electric power supply on and off respectively.
Said display may be mounted to the inside of said lid.
Said display may be mounted to the upper surface of the body of said measuring device.
Said inputting unit may be provided on the upper surface of the body of said measuring device.
The voltage measuring electrodes of said electrodes may be provided on the upper surface of the body of said measuring device to be covered by said lid when closed.
All of the voltage measuring electrodes and current feeding electrodes may be provided on the upper surface of the body of said measuring device to be covered by said lid when closed.
One paired set of said electrodes may be provided on the upper surface of the body of said measuring device; the other paired set of said electrodes may be provided on the inside of said lid; and said lid may be a hinged cover which is rotatable 360 degrees about the hinge.
A living body variable measuring device comprising: an electric power supply; electrodes for use in measuring the living body variable and inputting physical data of individuals whose body variables are to be measured; a memory device for storing the physical data of individuals thus inputted; an arithmetic operation-and-control unit for determining the living condition of each individual from the living body variable and the personal physical data; and a display for displaying the result of the arithmetic operation and other pieces of information, is improved according to the present invention in that it further comprises a lid for covering the body of said measuring device.
A living body variable measuring device comprising: an electric power supply; electrodes for use in measuring the living body variable; a touch-sensitive LCD for use in inputting physical data of individuals whose body variables are to be measured; a memory device for storing the physical data of individuals thus inputted; and an arithmetic operation-and-control unit for determining the living condition of each individual from the living body variable and the personal physical data, the result of the arithmetic operation being displayed by said touch-sensitive LCD, is improved according to the present invention in that it further comprises a lid for covering the body of said measuring device.